Mini-grant Recipients Share Innovative Teaching Tips

Khalilah Reddie
Khalilah Reddie, right, a chemistry lecturer in the Kennedy College of Sciences, receives the Centers for Learning Faculty Recognition award from Suzanne Gamache.

11/16/2015
By Ed Brennen

Forty faculty members were recognized for excellence at the Committee on Transformational Education’s third annual Teaching and Learning Symposium, held Nov. 10 at the UMass Lowell Inn and Conference Center.

Khalilah Reddie, a chemistry lecturer in the Kennedy College of Sciences, was presented with the Centers for Learning Faculty Recognition award by Executive Director Sheila Riley-Callahan and Coordinator of Tutoring Services Suzanne Gamache.

“I’ve been on this campus for many years, and I have to say that the work that you do for our students in organic chemistry, and working with our tutors, is something that should be applauded,” Riley-Callahan said in presenting the award.  

While past symposiums included faculty poster presentations and discussions, this year’s event featured a panel discussion of mini-grant recipients through the university’s Transformational Education Initiative. The panel included 2014-15 recipients Jessica Garcia (chemistry lecturer) and Marie Frank (associate professor of art history and architecture), and 2015-16 recipients John Brown (program adviser for undergraduate education minor) and Matthew Hurwitz (first year writing program lecturer).

The 2015 Faculty Awards for Teaching Excellence were also announced at the event. They included, by college:

  • College of Fine Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences: Regina Milan, art; Carole Salmon, world languages & cultures; Jason Rydberg, criminology & justice studies; Nien Huei Jiang, economics/legal studies; Margaret Dietz, English; Mary Gormley, English; Paul Keen, history; Meg Ruby, music; Heidi Furey, philosophy; Morgan Marietta, political science; Thomas Gordon, psychology; Urmitapa Dutta, psychology; and Thomas Pineros-Shields, sociology.
  • College of Health Sciences: Renee Barrile, clinical laboratory & nutritional sciences; Rebecca Foco, community health & sustainability; Celeste Tremblay, nursing; Sandra Mote, nursing; Yi-Ning Wu, physical therapy; and David Kriebel, work environment.
  • Francis College of Engineering: Prakash Rai, chemical & energy engineering; Edward Hajduk, civil engineering; Michele Putko, mechanical engineering; Daniel Sullivan, mechanical engineering; Michael Darish, electrical & computer engineering; Frank Tredeau, electrical & computer engineering; Margaret Sobkowicz-Kline, plastics engineering.
  • Kennedy College of Sciences: Shaina Roy, biological sciences; Khalilah Reddie, chemistry; Ekaterina Saenko, computer science; Nelson Eby, earth, environmental & atmospheric sciences; Ravi Montenegro, mathematical sciences; Zahra Fardmanesh-Karimy, mathematical sciences; Nikolay Lepeshkin, physics; and Robert Giles, physics.
  • Manning School of Business: Laura Christianson, accounting; Tunde Kovacs, finance; Ralph Jordan, management; Michael Obal, marketing, entrepreneurship & innovation; and Hongwei Zhu, operations & information systems.
  • Graduate School of Education: John Brown, curriculum & instruction.

Transformational Education is the core mission and a primary Pillar of Excellence at UMass Lowell. The Committee on Transformational Education, co-chaired by Anita Greenwood and Charlotte Mandell, encourages faculty to incorporate a variety of active learning tools and strategies into their teaching.

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